Gradient Fat Cream Filling for Food Durability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food products with fat-based fillings face challenges in durability and ease of preparation, particularly due to the need for additional jointing compounds that can affect sensory properties and require separate application processes.
Innovation Solution
A filling comprising a viscous, anhydrous fat cream with a hydrophilic additive, structured into distinct regions with a continuous gradient of additive mass fraction, creating a solid outer region and a creamy inner region, which enhances mechanical stability and prevents leakage without the need for a separate barrier layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate barrier layer or jointing compound is added to improve durability and prevent leakage, then mechanical stability and durability are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing complexity increase due to additional layers and separate application processes
Solution Approach 1:
The filling is segmented into distinct regions with different functional properties: an inner region for sensory quality and an outer region for mechanical stability and barrier function. This segmentation allows each region to perform its specific function without requiring separate barrier layers.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the filling have different local qualities - the inner region maintains low viscosity for sensory properties while the outer region has high viscosity for durability and leakage prevention. This local differentiation eliminates the need for uniform barrier compounds throughout the entire filling.
2Reliability
If a separate barrier layer or jointing compound is applied to prevent leakage and improve durability, then mechanical stability is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to additional application steps and process complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier function is merged with the filling itself by creating a high-viscosity outer region that inherently prevents leakage. This eliminates the need for separate barrier layers or jointing compounds, simplifying the manufacturing process to a single integrated filling application step.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer region of the filling serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical stability, prevents leakage, and acts as a barrier layer. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate components into a single universal structure.
3Reliability
If additional jointing compounds or barrier layers are added to improve durability, then mechanical stability is improved, but sensory quality deteriorates due to additional layers affecting taste and texture
Solution Approach 1:
The filling is divided into an inner region that contacts the consumer and maintains sensory quality, and an outer region that provides mechanical stability. This segmentation ensures that the barrier function is performed by the outer region without interfering with the sensory properties of the inner region.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner region maintains low viscosity and original sensory properties for optimal taste and texture experience, while the outer region has high viscosity for structural support. This local quality differentiation prevents sensory degradation while maintaining mechanical stability.
4Reliability
If the filling is made more viscous throughout to improve durability and prevent leakage, then mechanical stability and leakage prevention are improved, but sensory quality deteriorates due to loss of creamy texture and mouthfeel
Solution Approach 1:
The filling is segmented into regions with different viscosity characteristics - the inner region maintains low viscosity for sensory quality while the outer region has high viscosity for durability. This segmentation resolves the contradiction between overall viscosity and local sensory properties.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions have different local viscosity qualities tailored to their functions: low viscosity in the inner region for creamy texture and high viscosity in the outer region for structural stability and leakage prevention. This local differentiation allows simultaneous optimization of both sensory quality and durability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides increased durability and ease of preparation for food products, maintaining sensory quality and resisting temperature and humidity variations, while eliminating the need for additional jointing compounds.
Implementation Method 1
A mass fraction C of the hydrophilic additive in the filling increases continuously along a gradient G from the inner region to the transition region to the outer region
Implementation Method 2
a viscous, substantially anhydrous fat cream and at least one hydrophilic additive embedded in the fat cream
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a filling for a food product including a viscous, essentially anhydrous fat cream and at least one hydrophilic additive embedded in the fat cream, wherein the fat cream includes at least one outer region adjacent to an outer surface of the fat cream, at least one inner region, and at least one transition region disposed between the outer region and the inner region, wherein a mass fraction C of the hydrophilic additive increases continuously along a gradient G from the inner region through the transition region to the outer region.